The City of Columbia and Turner Construction School of Management will host training classes for contractors. The purpose of this course is to enhance the managerial, technical and administrative skills of participating contractors.

This class is specifically designed to help contractors:

• Identify challenges of being a contractor

• Understand fundamentals of estimating

• Learn effective methods for locating, obtaining, managing, and scheduling work

Interested in understanding the hidden costs of buying now and paying later? Come out to the FREE City of Columbia financial-literacy seminar. This event is positioned to help potential homeowners prepare to buy and keep their homes.

The seminar will take place on Saturday, October 20th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. It will be held at the Community Development Department located at 1225 Lady Street on the 2nd Floor.

 Coldwell Banker recently released its 2011 Home Listing Report.

The report provides the average price of four-bedroom, two-bathroom properties.

The survey reviewed 35 real estate markets in South Carolina and Irmo ranked #16 for the most affordable markets in the state, with an average home listing price of approximately $200,048 while North Myrtle Beach was identified as the state’s most expensive market at $399,094. That’s a price difference of more than $150,000!